At the gates of Easter, and almost finishing our Lent period, we had been or the road since early February with some concert bands such as Augustana Concert Band, the Wagner College Choir and high school string orchestras as ThunderRidge that just returned home after being playing in front of large audiences, where they were welcomed with outstanding ovations.

This Sunday we will tour again with an excellent string orchestra with performances in Avila, Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona.

We are also closing the final details for next May where we will have planned beautiful concerts for the Berkeley Youth Symphony, the Luther College Band, the Withworth University Choir and the Pacific Lutheran Jazz, Wind and Orchestra throughout Spain and Portugal. This spring will be full of music and fun

Music Festivals in Spain

Spain is passionate about music. We have more annual music festivals than we can list; celebrations of every musical genre including classical, choral, contemporary, gospel, pop and electronic. Find information below on some of the biggest festivals, featuring classical, jazz, flamenco and other musical styles. Check ourFacebookandTwitterposts for updates and information on these festivals and news about other concerts, festivals and musical events that Perform in Spain celebrates.

CLASSICAL

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE MUSICA Y DANZA DE GRANADA

Granada, end of June, beginning of July,annual.

It is one of the most important cultural meetings in Spain and one of the largest traditional festivals. Its start was during the symphonic concerts that since 1883 where celebrated at the Palace of Charles V inside the Alhambra, during the Corpus Christi feasts. It runs under the public corporation through the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Government of Andalucía, the Town Hall of Granada.

It always combined the presence of great world known musicians as new promises and also combines great musical pieces with contemporary productions. Through its stages several figures as Andrés Segovia, Herbert von Karajan, Victoria de los Ángeles, Arthur Rubinstein, Margot Fonteyn or Rudolf Nureyev, have performed. But also several promise stars as Teresa Berganza, Antonio the dancer or Joaquin Achúcaro.

The city of Granada is a perfect scenario, with beautiful corners andoutdoor spaces. While the palace of Emperor Charles hostess the main Symphony orchestras, the Gardens of Generalife and Alhambra is ready for Ballet Companies, the Arrayanes Courtyard or the Royal Hospiltal is ready for soloists and the Sacromonte Quarter is ready for other performance groups.

SEGOVIA INTERNACIONAL FESTIVAL

Segovia, every July

The FIS gives its name to many cultural activities that happens in Segovia city related to music that are celebrated each year during the summer season.

The International Festival is one of the main festivals in Spain, and its history began in 1938 where different artistic and musical performances happened. But officially, the Festival celebrated the past 2000 its25th anniversary of nonstop programs.

Since then, the festival was the main pilar where the main musical activities of this city happened. It is home of many different musical styles for all audiences; ancient music, baroque music, symphonic, military music, choral music and concerts focus on children. Besides this, the programs use to offer dance, from classical ballet to Flamenco.

The International Week of Chamber Music, are seven following days dedicated to the most attractive chamber music of our history. A variety of programs that includes many works of different composers and styles, from”violagambistas” from theXVI, XVII and XVIII centuries up to the heterodoxy of the jazz mans, from classical to romantic composers. The concerts are followed with workshops, people to people meetings, and magister lessons.

The Youth Festival is specialized in youth interpreters, from soloists to orchestras. It is getting more and more renown as a promotional festival of the promisse future performers not only inside Spain but also worldwide. The works of Spanish composers are incentivized and some of them are premier performances.

All these festivals that happen every summer, makes the city of Segovia an international musical recognition.

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL OF SANTANDER

Santander, August, Annual

The Festival has always produced an artistic program to appeal to the different sectors of society, in an attempt to satisfy the needs of the most demanding supporters and all those wishing to enjoy artistic events of the highest quality. For this reason the Santander International Festival especially seeks to strike a balance between the most traditional styles and the latest ground-breaking and innovatory tendencies, and this characteristic has given shape to the festival’s own identity.

It is, along with the Festival of Granada, the oldest to be celebrated in our country, and also the longest: more than thirty scintillating days, packed with music, dance, theatre, recitals, and so on. The fact that it is a Member of the European Association of Festivals based in Ghent, and whose members include the major festivals in the world such as Salzburg, Florence and Verona to name but a few, makes its name respected and followed with interest in cultural circles in Europe and America.

The list of the world-class artists who have performed in each edition throughout the long history of the Festival is endless, and without doubt we can proudly say that the Festival’s wide audience has been able to enjoy the presence of the world’s most important artists from all spheres of the performing arts. As well as the purely artistic, the International Festival Santander takes place in of the most visited regions during the summer months Cantabria- offering tourists a perfect combination of nature, art, and culture, converting it into a first class holiday destination chosen by visitors demanding the very best of quality.

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL OF TORROELLA DE MONTGRI (COSTA BRAVA)

Costa Brava, Mid July to Mid August

The festival is celebrated in Torroella de Montgri, not far away from Girona in the heart of Costa Brava, and just a couple of kilometers from the beach of L´Estartit, under its medieval castle, Torroella has an important musical tradition. An important scenario where metical musicians as Barbara Hendricks, Joaquín Achúcarro or Vienna Philharmonic Chamber orchestra had performed on its castle.

The old quarter of this town dates back on the XIII century is a good example, of one of the few preserved, that follows the structure of an ancient Roman camp.

This urban space hosts at the same time different music cycle’s and workshops, one of Classical Music and one about Jazz on the streets.

CASTILLO DE PERALADA INTERNACIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL(COSTA BRAVA)

July/August

This festival offers mainly opera, chamber and symphonic music, and on which had participated different soloists, international conductors and companies of international prestige as Victoria de los Angeles, Josep Carreras, Lorin Maazel, Lindsay Kemp, London Philarmonic Orchestra, Bolshoi Theater Ballet,.. It is renowned for being focus on giving special attention to great voices, symphony-chorale concerts and operas. But also some other productions as ballet, dance, etc…

Perelada is a small town in the Alt Amporda state, between Figeres and Costa Brava, 140 km distance from Barcelona, and has a beautiful gothic style and renaissance quarter from XIV to XVI centuries.

The different venues are the Church of Carmen, Cloister and gardens of the palace with a shell stage. It is privately sponsored and it is organized by its castle Foundation and had been running since 1887, it is member of the European festival Association since 1992 and the Queen Sofia is the honor president of its committee.

CHOPIN MUSIC FESTIVAL IN VALLDEMOSA

Mallorca Island, summer

The festival runs since 1930 and offers a special venue at the Cloister of Valldemosa. The main purpose is to include in the program pieces of Chopin by international prestige pianists. Besides the performers there are several artistic exhibitions.

CANARIAS MUSIC FESTIVAL

Tenerife & Las Palmas January-February, each year

Born in 1985, the festival starts each year after Christmas andends at theend of February. For almost two months, a selected program of classical music is performed each year by the main important classical music figures as Alfredo Kraus, Plácido Domingo, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mstislav Rostropovich, Krystian Zimerman… among others and conductors as Ricccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Sir George Solti, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado… Is the only festival that is celebrated in winter.

QUINCENA MUSICA DE SAN SEBASTIAN

San Sebastian,Basque Country, August

The first editionon 1939 means the large tradition of this Festival hat happens for almost a month in the city of San Sebastián.

SACRED MUSIC FESTIVALS

GOSPEL IN SPAIN FESTIVAL

December each year, Madrid and other cities

This festival is organized by Perform in Spain and for a week some of the best gospel and spiritual ensembles perform each year in different cities of Spain during the first two weeks of December.

ELS GRANS DEL GOSPEL FESTIVAL

November to December – Barcelona

The first Gospel festival in Barcelona was celebrated on the year 2000 under the influence of the Jazz festival of Barcelona. Thanks to the welcome of the audience and the press, the organizers decided to run it the following years. Some of the best gospel international ensembles participated at the Palau de la Música de Barcelona.

MADRID SACRED MUSIC FESTIVAL

Madrid, February-March each year

The purpose of this Festival is to show pieces of theater, dance and music of sacred style and during the Lent and Easter period For almost five weeks many concerts and performances as well as other artistic exhibitions from other faiths are welcome in Madrid. The festival started on the90´s and present its own particularity, as it happens at the same time on many different venues in Madrid and seventeen other locations nearby. Also the festival works directly with other festivals of the same type in Spain and internationally.

This is the most important sacred music festival in Spain that happens each year in the ancient city of Cuenca and that it is celebrated on the main churches of Cuenca and during Easter, that makes theatmosphere of the city a unique scenario. Churches as San Miguel, San Pablo, the Cathedral and the austere Romanesque church of las Arcas, besides the main Auditorio, welcome all concerts. The first edition of the Festival was on 1962.

Cuenca during this week is also the perfect meeting point for different musicians, students, music specialists and music lovers.

SEGOVIA SACRED MUSIC WEEK

One Week before Easter Week, Annual – Segovia.

The Festival offers a series of concerts specialized on sacred music and always during Easter.Thevenues aredifferent churches in Segovia and its surroundings.

The Flamenco has its roots undouble tied to the Andalusian lands as and it is a part of its heritage and culture. The city of Seville opens each two years the doors to this traditional Bienal Festival.

More than 600 performers participate offering the best of the flamenco music.

The Flamenco today cannot survive with the classical Flamenco music and traditions of the old and good times. For this particular reason, the flamenco dance has a special part, and also the new values and shows dedicated to capture new followers to make art of Flamenco music as much universal as it is today.

JEREZ FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

Thanks to the quality and extensión, this festival had been converted in one ofthe most important ones internationally known. Dance is the mainperformance, but this festival is also specialized in Spanish dance too, besides the seminars and workshops about guitar and singing (cante) There are also exhibitions, master lessons, conferences, and an international forum about Flamenco world. The headquarter is theTeatro Villamarta.., besides the Alcazar and theVillavicencioPalace.Wellknown are the “tras noches” organized each night by the different “peñas Flamencas” of the city.

CANTE DE LAS MINAS INTERNACIONAL FESTIVAL

La Unión, Murcia, August

One of the most important and emblematic flamenco festivals in Spain. Since1980 there is also a competition for Toque (Guitar players) and in 1993 there is also a Baile competition.

The Festival is much more than a competition, as the town of La Unión is converted each year in the center of the flamenco art. The venue is the old Market building. After each concert the audience can continue enjoying other performances at local bars and continue with the fiesta. This is known as the “madrugadas flamencas”

Other Music Festivals

Here you can find information and links about the other Music festivals in Spain. Many as the FIB Benicassim or Primavera Sound are internationally known and have international artists who participate. There are other smaller festivals throughout Spain that keep the interest and are more specific on their styles. There are Americana & Country music festivals as the one in Riaza (Segovia) or the Cazorla Blues for blues, etc….

We will try to keep update the information through FB and through this web site every season and we will also recommend some music magazines as MondoSonoro, where you can see information to most of them and links, however the information is mostly in Spanish.